Internal-combustion engine



Sept. 24, 1929. J, p lI ,farymRLJM 1,729,392

@INTERNAL GOMBUSTION ENGINE Filed oct. 21, 1927 i A 27: 16' 14 la V f 2l11 15 ,ll lf -lHllI r 4? 1 3536 39 22 w45? 36 3g gg f-A JPLczlzdlfum 4.9E."

I By Y Attorney 3.9

Inventor` Patented Sept. 24, 1929 UNITEDy STATES PATENT OFFICE V JOHN I.LANDRUM, F BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA, ASSIGNOR'OF ONE-HALF T0 yPIFJICI'I'IY R.MCCORMACK, 0F BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA INTEBNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINE Applicationled October 21, 1927. Serial No. 227,786.

My invention'relates to internal combustion engines and has for itsobject the provision of apparatus 'of the character designatedwhichshall have improved power developing and endurance qualities.

A further object of my invention is to provide an improved piston and4cylinder construction vfor two cycle internal combustion engines,whereby the cylinder is more thoroughly scavenged of the burnt gases ofcombustion.

to provide an improved piston and cylinder .construction for two cycleinternal comlbusl5 tion engines of the type wherein the fuel mixture is.admitted through the crank case and piston to the combustion end of thecylinder, whereby partial combustion of the fuel mixture on the crankcase side of the piston and consequent carbon deposits therein shall beobviated.

A still further object of my invention is to provide improved'means forthe supplying of fuel and for cooling the piston of a two cycle internalcombustion engine by the fuel mixture whereby carbon deposits on thepiston are obviated and the fuel mixture is preheated before admissionto the cylinder.

Another object of my invention is to prostruction for internalcombustion engines which shall effect a more thorough mixture of thefuel and air for combustion purposes,-

and wherein advantage may be taken of the well known benefits derivablefrom high compression in the cylinder and high speed of the engine. o

'.As described in this application, my improved internal combustionengine is ofthe valveless two cycle type, embodying an en'- closed crankcase, a hollow piston, and means for supplying a fuel mixture throughthe crank case and the/piston to the. combustion end of the cylinder.Apparatus of this general type has heretofore been proposed and has goneinto wide commercial use. It is to overcome diiiiculties which have`been encountered in the operation of engines of this type, and toimprove the ower developing qualities of siicbengines, t at my inventlnvide an improved piston and cylinder con-A ments set forth may beadapted for advan- -tageous use with a wide variety of internal.combustion engines. In the operationy of in ternal combustion engines,of the type shown, difficulties f have been encountered in 'cooling thepiston .of-the engine, especially when run` at high speed. Furthermore,partial combustion of the fuel mixture often occurs on the crank caseside of -the piston, causing carbon deposits, reducin the powerdeveloped, and interfering with the lubrication of the engine. 'Anotherserious diiiiculty which has been encountered,`has been to sup- Y pl afuel mixture of suiicient volume to the cy der and to provide foi` thehigh comf pression and thorough mixture of tlie fuel and air supply.These and other difiiculties are overcome by my invention by providing,first, an improved method of supplying a cool fuel mixture to the crankcase of the engine of ample volume to lill the cylinder at the desiredmoment. The cool mixture, after being" drawn into the crank case, issealed against outward leakage by action of the crank shaft, and it isthen compressed by action of 30 the piston and admitted to the cylinderat the end of theower stroke of the piston. In its passage om the crankcase to thecombustion end of the cylinder, the fuel mixture is caused toflow through thev hollow piston in an arcuate path and heat radiating.-qns are provided in the hollow piston in the path of the fuel mixture.The heat radiating fins serve to dissipate the heat from the l pistonsufficiently to prevent premature partial combustion of the mixtureonthe crank v case side of the piston and also serverto pre- 1 heat themixture beforeit is admitted to the combustion end of the cylinder. 'Afuel mixture inlet passage having a curvilinear form is provided in thewalls of the cylinder in such position as to re 'ster with a suitableport in the piston at t e completion of the power stroke thereof. Thiscurvilinear pas- Sage insures a smooth gow ofthe mixture 100 into thecylinder without eddies or pockets. The active face of the piston andthe head of the cylinder are so formed that upon entry of the fuelmixture into the cylinder it is deflected first upwardly to the head ofthe cylinder and then outwardly towards an exhaust outlet opposite thefuel mixture inlet so that the burnt gases of combustion are thoroughlyscavenged out of the cylinder. Furthermore, the construction of thecylinder and piston are such that the fuel mixture is highly compressedinto a relatively small pocket and a spark plug is provided adjacentthis pocket. The features just enumerated, insures thorough scavenging,high compression of the fuel mixture and thorough combustion thereof.

Apparatus embodying features of my invention is illustrated in theaccompanying drawing, forming a part of this application,

whereln Fig. .1 is a longitudinalsectional view of the engine andshowing the pistons at the otmpletion of the compression stroke there- OFig. 2 is a sectional view taken along the line II-II of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3 is a sectional view similar to Fig. 2 but showing the piston atthe completion of the power stroke thereof.

Referring no w tothe drawing for a better understanding-of my invention,I show an engine comprising opposed cylinders 10 and 11 having a crankcase 12 interposed between the cylinders and secured thereto. Within thecylinders 10 and 11 are pistons 14 and 16 having wristpins 17 and 18cooperating with connecting rods 19 and 21, which latter are coupled to'cranks 22 and 23 'on a crank shaft 24.

The crank shaft 24, at one end, is provided with an internal assage 26opening into a peripheral port 2g and also opening into the interior ofthe crank case. surrounding the crank shaft 24, at the end provided withthe passage 26, is a sleeve 28 having a port 29 therein. The crank case12, at each end thereof, is formed with housings 31 and 32 for the shaft24. The housing 31 surrounds the sleeve 28 and is provided with a port33, in communication with the port 29, and has secured thereto, acarburetor 34 which latter may be of any approved design. .The cylinders10 and 11 are each provided w1th an inlet passage 36, and an exhaustoutlet port 37 diametrically opposed to the inlet port. Thev pistons 14and 16 -are made hollow and each is provided with a port 38 adapted toregister with the receiving end of the assage 36 at the end of the powerstroke oft e piston, as may be seen 1n Fig. 3, to admit the fuel mixtureto the cylinder. As may be seen in Figs. 2 and 3, the inlet assage 36'is made curvilinear in form so t at the fuel mixture in passingtherethrough meets walls serves to further reduce the frictionalresistance to flow through the passage.

The interior construction of the pistons 14 and 16 forms a particularpart of my invention and will now be pointed out. The hollow of each ofthe Apistons is formed toward the headportion thereof with a circuitouswal1'41 merging at one side, where the major flow of fuel mixtureoccurs, into a straight wall 42 and merging on the opposite side intothe port 38. The circular wall 41, as may be seen by the drawing,partially surrounds the wrist pin. On the opposite side of the interiorof the piston from the wall 42, the wall is cast with a projecting luglor Vane 43 which acts to deflectthe fuel mix.

will remain in the piston to become heated and burned. The coolingeffect of the mixture on the piston is such that the engine may be runat a much higher speed than engines of similar type with which I amacquainted, without danger of overheating the piston. Between the port38 and the active side of the iston is a bridge 45 which is co-extensive1n width with the bridge 39. When the piston is at the end of the powerstroke, as may be seen in Fig. 3, the bridge 45 is directly over thebridge 39, thus affording the shortest possible path for the.fuelmixture flowing to the cylinder.

The active face of each of the pistons is formed on one side to providea curved deflector 46 which, upon the admission of the fuel mixturethrough the passage 36, serves to deflect said fuel mixture toward thehead of the cylinder and close tothe adjacent cylinder wall. From theedge of the deiectmg portion 46, each of the pistons is provided with aninclined portion 47 directed toward the exhaust outlet port 37.

Each ofthe cylinders l() and 11 has its head portion formed with aninclined wall 48 complementary to the inclined portion 47 of the pistonand with a concave pocket 49 in the path of the incoming fuel mixturedirected b 4the deflecting portion 46 of the piston.

he walls of the concave pocket 49, when the fuel mixture is beingadmitted to the cylinder, deflects it across'the cylinder where itsweeps the inclined wall 48 and passes longitudinally of the cylindertoward the exhaust pressed and into the small space defined by the Wallsof the cylinder and the piston head. A spark plug 51 is provided in thecylinder wall adjacent to the pocket 49 s o as to ignite the highlycompressed mixture in the pocket at the desired period in the enginestroke.

From the foregoing description, the operap tion of apparatus made inaccordance with my invention will be apparent. As the pistons moveduring the compressionstroke toward the ends of the cylinders, a partialvacuum is formed in the crank case 12. During the required period in thecompression stroke, the port 27 in the crank shaft 24 is incommunication With the carburetor 34 and fuel mixture is drawn into thecrank case12. The fuel mixture in the crank case is then entrapped byrotation of the crank shaft moving the port 27 out of registry with theport 29 and, as the pistons move inwardly of the crank case during theirpower stroke, they compress the entrapped mixture until the port 38registers with the inlet passage 36. The fuel mixture is then divertedbythe ldeflecting lug 43 around the wrist pin and against the circularwall 41 of the interior of the piston where it sweeps the heat radiatingfins 44, cooling the piston and preheating the mixture without anysacrifice of the volume of the mixture. Upon entry into the cylinder thefuel mixture is deliected by the pistonv portion 46 and concave pocketl49, driving before it the burned gases of combustion through the outletport A37. j

As the piston moves toward the end of the lcylinderon its compressionstroke the fuel mixture, previously flowing towardthe outlet port'37, isreversed in its directionl of movement and is carried back into theconcave pocket 49 Where it is ignited by the spark plug 51 at thedesired period in the piston stroke. 'The reversal of movement justdescribed insures a more thorough mixture of the fuel and air, and amore thorough combustion thereof.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that I have devised an improvedinternal combustion engine capable of high speed and of developing arelatively high power-and which includes improved coolmg andscavengingmeans.

While I have shown my invention in but one form,\it will be obvious tothose sln'lled in the art that it is not so limited, but is susceptibleof various changes and modifications, without departing from the spiritthereof, and. I desire, therefore, that only such limitations shall beplaced thereupon as are imposed by the prior art or as are specificallyset forth in the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. In a two cycle internal combustion engine, a cylinder having a fuelmixture inlet in its side wall and an exhaust outlet in the side wallopposed to the fuel mixture inlet, means on the piston head to deflectthe fuel mixture toward the end of the cylinder, a concave recess insaid cylinder' end disposed to receive the deflected mixture and directit toward the exhaust outlet, a surface on the cylinder head extendingat an incline from said recess toward the exhaust outlet, the activeface of said piston being inclined in substantial parallelism to theinclined surfaces on the cylinder head.

2. In a two cycle internal combustion engine of the character described,a cylinder having a fuel mixture inlet in its side wall land an exhaustoutlet opposite the inlet, a piston in the cylinder having its activeface cut away to provide a defiector for the entering mixture to deflectit toward the cylinder head, a concave pocket in the cylinder head inlthe path of the deflected mixture and formed to direct said mixturetoward the outlet, a wall portion for the cylinder head merging with theconcave pocket and inclined toward the exhaust outlet, a cooperatinginclined wall portion provided on the active face of the piston,substantially parallel to the inclined portion of the cylinder headwall,

and fuel igniting means disposed adjacent to 100,

the concave pocket.

3. In a two cycle internal combustion engine of the character described,a cylinder having a fuel mixture inlet in its side wall and an opposedexhaust outlet, a piston in the cylinder having its active face cut awayto provide a deector for the entering mixture to divert it toward thecylinder head, a concave pocket in the cylinder head in the path of thediverted mixture-to direct said mixture and formed Atoward the exhaustoutlet, a4 wall portion for the cylinder head merging with the concavepocket and inclined toward the exhaust outlet, and an inclined Wallportion of the piston complementary to the inclined cylinder head wall.

In testimony whereof I, JOHN P. LAND- .RUM, affix my signature.

JOHN P. LANDRUM.A

